December 13, 2016

The Great Dolomite Road in Northern Italy

December 13, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

When we were planning out driving trip through Northern Italy, we had a ton of people tell us we needed to see the Dolomites. We didn't exactly understand why - I mean, we were already driving through the Alps to get to Italy, what's the big deal? It's just more mountains. Well, as it turns out, they are beautiful. Think South Dakota Badlands mixed with Austrian Alps. Kind of weird to think about, but that's honestly the best way to describe them.

December 02, 2016

Review: Norway in a Nutshell Tour

December 02, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Norway is one of the most beautiful countries that we have visited. The weather was beautiful when we were there (mid-May), and the landscapes are, quite simply, breath taking. When my sister and I had some time in Bergen, we decided to do one of the most popular tours - the Norway in a Nutshell tour. The idea is that you get to see a little bit of it all, and travel the world famous train route between Oslo and Bergen (or, round trip from either Bergen or Oslo, if you so choose). It's an all day tour and you go on a bus ride, a fjord cruise, ride the Flåm railway, and then take a train either to Oslo or Bergen. We opted for the round trip tour departing from Bergen.

January 05, 2016

Fondue in an Igloo

January 05, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Before moving to Germany, I wasn't aware that fondue was a Swiss tradition. My experience with it was limited to home made stuff where we had different types of meat that were cooked in hot oil, and the stuff from the Melting Pot restaurants. Traditional Swiss fondue though, is pretty much just a pot of cheese served with bread. When we decided to head to Switzerland for a couple of days after Christmas, we knew we had to try this Swiss specialty. What better way to try it than sitting in an igloo at the top of a mountain in the Swiss Alps?

June 19, 2015

A Visit to Eagle's Nest

June 19, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

One place that Aaron and I wanted to visit while we were over here, and other place that was on our bucket list, was Eagle's Nest, Hitler's mountaintop house. We figured it would be perfect to go there with my sister and show her some of the most beautiful Germany countryside ever. After we finished up at Neuschwanstein, we got back in the car and headed towards Berchtesgaden, a national park in the south eastern most part of Germany, right on the border with Austria. We stayed the night in a small Gasthaus (which are quickly becoming our favorite types of places to stay in Europe) that looked out at the mountains. It was stunning.

October 10, 2014

Castle Ruins and Mountain Tops

October 10, 2014/ Meghan Oaks

Although it was difficult to drag ourselves away from the spa (just kidding ... kind of), we did manage to do a couple of things besides relax when we were in Baden-Baden. This post shows just how much there is to do in this region (and this is only a tiny fraction of what is available), but we only managed to get to two of them - taking a Bergbahn up to the top of Merkur Mountain, and visiting the castle ruins of the Altes Schloß Hohenbaden.